The Met Police did not act "inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner" when tackling crowds at a vigil for Sarah Everard, a watchdog has found.

But Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFR) did criticise communication before and after the event and concluded that the vigil was legal, given the enduring right to protest during lockdown, but it was "unrealistic" that is cold have been made safe due to "insufficient time" and the expected high turn out.

HMICFRS was commissioned by Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to urgently inspect the Met’s handling of the gathering at Clapham Common earlier this month.

Hundreds of people had turned up to show their respects for the 33-year-old after she was found dead at woodland in Ashford a week after disappearing near the London parkland.

Serving office Wayne Couzens is charged with her kidnap and murder and will enter a plea at the Old Bailey in July and potentially stand trial in October.

They also demonstrated against violence against women against a backdrop of police urging them to stay at home due to ongoing restrictions.

The official vigil was cancelled as a result of a last-minute court ruling backing the police's decision.

But many people did turn up and the peaceful event on Saturday, March 13, sparked outrage after alarming images of women being pinned down by officers and arrested began to circulate.

Now, two weeks on, HMICFRS has concluded the Met was "justified in adopting the view that the risks of transmitting Covid-19 at the vigil were too great to ignore when planning for and policing the event".

After reviewing hundreds of documents, body-worn video from police officers and other media, and conducting interviews with the police, vigil organisers and politicians, the inspectorate found that:

• Police officers at the vigil did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd;
• Police officers remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse; and
• Police officers did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner.

But inspectors did criticise communication between police commanders about changing events on the ground.

"Public confidence in the force suffered as a result of the vigil, and that given the impact of images of women under arrest – which were widely disseminated on social media – a more conciliatory response after the event might have served the Met’s interests better," the report added.

Sir Thomas Winsor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said: “This has been a rapid but detailed inspection.

“Public confidence in the police is critical. It is therefore important that there has been an independent, objective, evidence-based inspection to provide public reassurance, which we provide today.

“Our civilian police model is precious. Officers are our fellow citizens, invested by the community to keep the community safe. They rely upon and are entitled to receive public support when they act lawfully, sensitively and proportionately; in this case, in the face of severe provocation and in very difficult circumstances, they did just that.”

Matt Parr, who led the inspection team, added: “Amidst a heightened public debate on women’s safety, and during an unprecedented pandemic, the Metropolitan Police faced a complex and sensitive policing challenge.

“Condemnation of the Met’s actions within mere hours of the vigil – including from people in positions of responsibility – was unwarranted, showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence.

“After reviewing a huge body of evidence – rather than a snapshot on social media – we found that there are some things the Met could have done better, but we saw nothing to suggest police officers acted in anything but a measured and proportionate way in challenging circumstances.

“A minute’s silence was held for Sarah at 6pm, after which a peaceful and sombre vigil turned into something else – a rally with dense crowds and little or no social distancing. We concluded that the Met was right to recognise the need to be seen to be consistent in its policing of all events and gatherings. They were, therefore, right to enforce the regulations – having gone to some lengths to persuade people to disperse.”

HMICFRS found that an event could have taken place because the right to protest remains even during the pandemic. However, it said planning a Covid-friendly event at Clapham Common was not realistic because of the high number of people expected to attend and the limited time available to plan the event.

The inspectorate concluded that, in this case, the Met’s decision to prioritise consistency with their approach to policing other mass gatherings during the Covid-19 lockdown was right.

Responding to the findings The Met's assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: “We are outraged at Sarah’s death which has left us even more determined to tackle violence against women and girls.

“This report makes clear the difficult circumstances officers faced as a peaceful vigil became a hostile rally. We must always be consistent in our policing of public events.

“I am extremely proud of the restraint, compassion and professionalism officers showed during a fast-moving and challenging situation.

“They spent considerable time engaging, explaining and encouraging before considering any enforcement action.

“Officers acted thoughtfully, sensibly and proportionately with the best interests of Londoners at heart given we remain in a public health crisis.

“We welcome the considered scrutiny of this event which highlights how a snapshot may not represent the full context of the challenges police face.”

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